Instrumental Form: (Boss Architecture) Words, Buildings, Machines

by Wes Jones

Wes Jones, the recipient of seven Progressive Architecture design awards, creates what he calls "boss architecture"—an "interventive upgrading process"—in which "the expressiveness of the intervention is as important as its effectiveness."Jones is a San Francisco-based architect whose projects include the UCLA Chiller Plant and the Head Start Childcare Facility in Heightstown, New Jersey. After working for six years at Holt Hinshaw Pfau Jones, where he was design principal of such projects as the Astronauts Memorial at the Kennedy Space Center, he formed his own practice, Jones Partners Architecture, in 1993. In his use of industrial materials, Jones both engages and confronts technology, bridging the separation between architecture and nature and raising questions about our uses of technological advancements. As Herbert Muschamp writes, "Jones is a cold-war child, and a recurring theme of his work...is the interplay of fascination and dread that technology generates in the nuclear age." Instrumental Form, the first monograph on Jones's practice, investigates seventeen projects in detail through descriptions, photographs, and drawings, interspersed with engaging essays written by Jones himself. Also included is a chronology of Jones's projects. A wealth of text and images are coupled with arresting graphic design and bold color throughout.

Genres: Architecture

400 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[bryan boyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Traded Wes a copy of his book for a copy of Scott Cohen's book.